With his first single released half a
year ago, Slimm Cutta Calhoun gears up to release his first album, 'The Skinny', on
Aquemini/Elektra Records. Slimm is more of a hip-hop rapper even though he represents the
ATL. If it comes down to that dirty south flow that can be accomplished though.
The album starts off with your boy from the Dungeon Family spitting a
freestyle-like rhyme introducing his partna Slimm Cutta Calhoun. The beat is slowed and
kind of on some devil shit. The next track 'This Young G' raps about how he's out to
change the game of rap with his hip-hop type flow. The beat is laced with simultaneous
beats and 'Oooohhhhh's.
'Red Clay' is up next, and it seems like a space filler for the album. It has the some of
the same braggadocios rhymes that the last track displayed. "Well", the next
track is the next single off his album "The Skinny" and it features Killer Mike
and Andre 3000 doing the vocals on the verse. As the second single I think this was a
great choice for the next single to push the album, nice lyrics and the beat is tight
also.
'Timelock (Camp David Interlude)' is one of those righteous hip-hop tracks. It's
laced with the lazy plucking a guitar. Which gave me a sleepy feeling throughout the
lengthy song (5 minutes and 39 seconds). The part chorus goes: "I'm in a timelock
locked in hell / the world is my cell / I feel I'm better off dead or jail". Then
again though, some of you maybe can relate to this song, so its not all bad. This song
immediately hops into the 'Camp David Interlude', which is a part of the track 5.
"Why Ya Smilin" is the first real
appearance of either one of his mentors from Outkast rapping. This track is tight. It's
laced with some frantic drums and Big Boi comes with a flow kind of similar to the one on
'B.O.B'. Daddy Fat Sacks lays two tight verses on this song. This song is basically bout
some of that skull therapy if you know what I'm talking bout. The next track features
Backbone, which is ok but not great. The beat is tight to death, but the flow Slimm
applying to it isn't. There are some bright spots on this track when Backbone comes raps
with his Do Or Die-type flow. Slimm seems to follow the same pattern on his 2nd verse.
On the song 'Dirt Work' Outkasts' Big Boi makes his second appearance on the album. The
song starts out with one of the best verses that Slimm spits the whole album, so far.
"I'm about a 2 and a quarter from rockin a byrd / and about a 'g' short from chopping
the third / and I'm sitting at the light with 10lbs of herb / uh oh there they go the red
dog swerve". He tells a story of grinding thoroughly; so vivid you can picture it
like you were there. Slimm outshines Big Boi on this track with his choppy flow.
Next is the well-known cut 'It's Ok'
featuring Andre 3000, which is his first appearance. This is about one of the tightest
tracks on the album by far. This track is on some pimped-out shit. Andre 3000 spits his
verse from the view of a female or a second person point of view in his cartoonish
sounding voice.
'Lil Buddy (Til Death Do Us Part)' is about friends chilling growing up together, except
on this track I think it's more about a girl instead of a guy friend. It tells a story of
friends and how they grow apart over the years. "Til Death Do Us Part / We was niggas
from the start / You my nigga from heart". This track sports a funked-out beat and a
bit of scratching. Throughout the next couples tracks Slimm raps about life stories like
on the track 'The Skinny' and the previous one. On the title-track 'The Skinny' Slimm raps
about the dope game and street life with a female (Erykah Badu?) harmonizing throughout
the song.
"How Much Can I" is the smoke song
on the album. It's a track you can just sit back chill and smoke a blunt to. It sounds
like an R&B track, but you'll most definitely feel it when you high. This song reminds
me of the track 'Stanklove' on Outkast's latest album "Stankonia". No rapping
just pure funk. Next up to bat is 'Da Calhoun's', its on some ol' gangsta shit like the
track 'Gangsta Shit' on "Stankonia". It's filled with rhymes bout hustlin' and
sellin' dope. The next track 'Piece Of Tha Pie' has one of the best beats on this track.
It's filled with drumbeats non-stop throughout the song. Slim retreats back to his hip-hop
style flow on this song.
Track 14 'Worldly Ways' is self-explanatory. It's about the shit that goes on in the
world. What's going on in this day and time, shit you think about when you alone or just
chilling by 'self, like mind therapy. As the album nears an end the tempo slows. 'That's
Life' is about struggling with the trials and tribulations of life. On your own and shit
like that
Overall this album is pretty tight, especially the ones that feature either Outkast member
Big Boi or Andre. A most definite album to get for those who like some of that east coast
rap styles. Not a lot of crunk material on it that you would expect from an ATL artist,
but it's a good buy, you won't be disappointed. Pros would have to be it features Outkast;
the cons would be that as the album ends the songs become more lackluster. Go out and buy
this one. |